Company anniversaries.

Wheelabrator Group, LaGrange, GA, celebrated its 100th anniversary. It was founded in Pittsburgh in 1908. The company is a provider of surface preparation and finishing answers.

Hypertherm, Hanover, NH, a company specializing in plasma arc metal cutting technology, celebrated its 40th anniversary. The company began in 1968 when Dick Couch, then a 20-something engineering graduate, and Bob Dean, working out of a small two car garage, discovered that by radially injecting water into a plasma cutting nozzle, they could create a narrower arc. That discovery made it possible to cut metal with a speed and accuracy, nearly eliminating dross and a phenomenon called double-arcing.

CNC Software, Inc., Tolland, CT, has noted its 25th anniversary. Brothers, Mark and Jack Summers, incorporated the company in 1983 with a programming concept for CNC machine tools. They developed a PC-based CAD/CAM software package with an emphasis on the CAM side. During that time, most of the programs were more CAD-oriented and expensive.

They called the software program "Meghan", named after Mark's eldest daughter, and then changed it within the first year to "Mastercam" as a clearer descriptive of the software's primary function. A third brother, Brian Summers, joined the company and now serves as vice president. Jamie Summers, Mark's wife, is chief financial officer.

Shortly after CNC Software started in Massachusetts, the company moved its base of operations to an office in Vernon, CT. After a brief move to an industrial park, CNC Software built corporate headquarters in Tolland.